Cindy

According to Sugar Shock, by Connie Bennett, sugar is called by many other names: beet sugar, brown sugar, brown rice syrup, evap cane juice, fruit-juice concentrate, turbinado sugar, honey, barley malt, maple syrup, molasses, raw cane sugar to name a few.  Check your labels!  HIdden sugars are in most salad dressings, packaged meats, catsup, cocktail sauce, tomato sauce, and frozen dinners.

Today begins a 3 week pre-holiday sugar fast I am holding with a group of clients.  I have decided to plan my menu for the day to include no sugar!  That’s  no regular sugar, no fake sugar “ols’, no sugar alternatives, i.e.  honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, etc.  Whoa…tricky!  Here’s todays menu:  breakfast-gluten free waffles w/berries and ghee, mid-am snack-protein smoothie w/whey isolate, fresh pineapple, banana, nutritional yeast, vits/mins, lunch- shrimp stir fry w/carrots and broccoli, wild rice, afternoon snack-hummus, avocado, and brown rice snaps, or celery and almond butter, dinner- baked chicken breasts in coconut oil, herb seasoned, curry, greens, sweet potato.  Maybe yogurt later in the eve…not sure.

Making sweet potato porridge: grill chicken in coconut oil, season with curry, place lots of chunks of sweet potatoes in crockpot, covered with chicken stock. Add onions, garlic, seasoning to taste, grilled chicken. When potatoes are soft mush down, but not completely. Add pure coconut milk to taste and to make a creamier texture. Can’t wait until it’s done!

Technology has opened the door for many opportunities.  With Skype I can visit you in your home, and no one has to leave their comfort area. to receive and exercise plan.   Less expensive, more green friendly, and yet still personal and individualized for each person.  Additionally, the client gets nutrition guidance and coaching with accessible online dietary plans.  Interested?  Contact me!  Feel free to ask questions.

A testimony:

Cindy has been my husband’s and my trainer for many years, now.  We are now 65 and 61 years of age, respectively.  We had initially gone to Cindy to relieve specific complaints related to our careers, but we stayed on when we saw all that could be accomplished. Over the years, she has continually provided interesting and challenging workouts.  They are always varied and  planned around our various changing ailments and changing needs.  (It turned out we needed even more assistance when we retired due to our extensive traveling.)  It amazes us to see how much work she puts into planning each day’s workout, keeping in mind our demonstrated abilities and our complaints.  She also constantly checks with us to see if our functional needs are being met.  That means, she wants to know how much we need to be able to lift and carry, how long we need to bend, and stoop, how long and what type of walking and stair climbing we will be doing on our travels.  She wants to ensure we can comfortably and safely lift the bag of sunflower seeds or garden soil, to paint the garage, and to walk for prolonged periods on cobble-stone streets.  If  we wish to go kayaking or bicycling, she plans workouts around those physical requirements.  She is also a nutritionist, and she constantly reminds us to practice good nutrition, providing advice on how best to accomplish that, given our lifestyle.  While she encourages and urges us to reach beyond our comfort zones, she never disparages us or pushes us too hard.  We cannot praise Cindy too much.  She has completely changed our minds about aging.  She never allows us to give in to physical limitations based solely on aging.

Acquire the following habits: 1) Always eat breakfast.  2) Drink lots of water.  3)  Eat frequently.  4) Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.  5) Eat food in combination (lean proteins with healthy carbohydrates).  Today I  had: greek yogurt, blueberries, oats & flaxseed, smoothie with whey protein powder, blueberries, banana, coconut water and oil, salmon and sweet potato, salmon and pear, white fish, squash, and green salad.  Water was the main drink all throughout the day.  How about  you?

Why should you eat breakfast?  Well, to start, your body has been fasting for some time, and your glucose levels are low, so you need to replenish energy stores.  Also, when you eat there is a thermogenic effect.  In other words, eating jump starts your metabolism.  It’s like throwing a log into the dwindled down fire and getting the fire burning hotter.  If you are an active person, your body needs nutrition to perform well.  Choose healthy carbs such as fruits and whole grains,  and lean protein, such as low fat dairy and lean meats.  Watch out for added refined sugars in cereals.  Eat hearty!

From my friend and fellow trainer, Pat:  Here’s another reason to avoid the low carb diet fad…halitosis…bad breath.
Low carb diets not only lack the foods that help cleanse the teeth when eaten, but the diets also promote the growth of offensive smelling sulfur compounds.
So, you might think you’re going to get a body that will attract all the hotties, but your breath will drop them in their tracks.
Learn more at www.topfitonline.com

What a journey!  Super clean nutrient dense eating is a stretch of the mind, body and soul!  New self-talk to avoid the non-nutritive foods I sometimes choose, the body driven to preserve the stored fat, and the deepening awareness of what I am made of.  The scale says I have lost 7.5# to date.  What did I do to accomplish that?  Well, notably, I counted more steps throughout each day…parked further away, took the stairs more readily, rather than the elevator (even though my knees were crying a bit!), in addition,of course to my regular workouts of strength and cardio.  To help fill me up, I chose more beans and nuts…ahhh..those wonderful high fiber plant-based foods!  And, I was sure, to eat very frequently, even sometimes every 2 hours, rather than the normal 3.  This seems to be what has worked for me..how about you?

This could be the hard part.  The initial rush is over, the toying with our minds in the second week is past, and now we just got to press on, and keep our eyes fixed on the goal.  What is your goal?  Think about it.  Take the steps to make it happen.  Keep your vision of what you want in the long run for yourself.  If you find yourself wanting to take the wrong turn in your nutrition or activity choices, JUST SAY NO!  Give yourself a little pep talk, and PRESS ON!  Everyone in the group who has reported to me has lost some scale weight!  That is awesome!